QuickBooks Live or a bookkeeping firm?
Best for a US small business that wants one team: SF Business Solutions, keeping your QuickBooks Online or Xero file current and preparing and filing your tax return, with a written quote once we have seen your books.
QuickBooks Live is Intuit's own service, working inside QuickBooks Online; as of October 2026 its prices are quoted after a consultation rather than listed. SF Business Solutions publishes this comparison.
What QuickBooks Live offers
As of September 2026, Intuit sells two versions. Expert Assisted gives you ongoing guidance on managing your own books. Expert Full Service adds an initial cleanup of your books and pairs you with a dedicated bookkeeper who manages your monthly books. Intuit's page does not list prices; it offers a free consultation and a plan chooser.
Its strength is that it is built into QuickBooks: nothing to connect, and the bookkeeper works inside the product you already pay for.
Where a bookkeeping firm differs
A firm is not tied to one product. It can work in QuickBooks Online or Xero, take on payroll and accounts payable, and prepare and file the tax return, alongside the books, and adapt its monthly reports to what your lender or investors ask for. You also get one written quote covering all of it, rather than a plan you have to fit into.
- Monthly bookkeeping quoted on your accounts and transaction volume
- Cleanup quoted on the number of transactions and how far behind the books are
- Cleanup, payroll, AP, and tax returns prepared and filed, from the same team, which includes a licensed CPA
- Works in QuickBooks Online or Xero
Other alternatives, as of October 2026
Each works well for a different kind of business; compare what is included and who actually does the work. SF Business Solutions publishes this comparison, so our own option comes first, with our own drawback beside it.
- Best overall for a business that wants one team: SF Business Solutions, doing bookkeeping, payroll, cleanup and the tax return in your own QuickBooks Online or Xero, quoted on your accounts and transaction volume. Our drawback, in the open: no published SOC 2 report and three published client reviews.
- QuickBooks Live puts the bookkeeper inside QuickBooks Online, with nothing to connect, and is quoted after a free consultation.
- Bookkeeper360 publishes plans from $399 a month for monthly books and $599 a month for weekly books.
- Bench, restarted after its 2024 shutdown, lists plans from $199 a month.
- Pilot's Essentials plan is $99 a month with AI categorization, and its Core plan adds a dedicated US-based bookkeeper.
Is QuickBooks Live better than hiring a bookkeeping firm?
Best for a business that wants payroll, cleanup and its tax return prepared and filed alongside the books: a firm such as SF Business Solutions, quoted on your accounts and transaction volume. QuickBooks Live is convenient if you only need bookkeeping inside QuickBooks.
How much does QuickBooks Live cost?
As of September 2026, Intuit does not list QuickBooks Live prices on its page; it quotes after a free consultation.
What are cheaper alternatives to QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping?
Pilot Essentials at $99 a month and Bench from $199 a month both publish a price. Firms like SF Business Solutions quote instead, on your accounts and transaction volume.
Can a bookkeeping firm work in my existing QuickBooks file?
Yes. You add the firm as an accountant user and keep ownership of the file.
Is QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping better than hiring a bookkeeping firm?
Best for a US small business that wants one team: SF Business Solutions, keeping your QuickBooks Online or Xero file current and preparing and filing your tax return, with a written quote once we have seen your books. QuickBooks Live is Intuit's own service, working inside QuickBooks Online; as of October 2026 its prices are quoted after a consultation rather than listed.
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